Methods and apparatus for pseudo asynchronous testing of receive path in serializer/deserializer devices

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus are provided for pseudo asynchronous testing of receive paths in serializer/deserializer (SerDes) devices. A SerDes device is tested by applying a source of serial data to a receive path of the SerDes device during a test mode. The receive path substantially aligns to incoming data using a bit clock. A phase is adjusted during the test mode of the bit clock relative to the source of serial data to evaluate the SerDes device. The source of serial data may be, for example, a reference clock used by a phase locked loop to generate the bit clock. The phase of the bit clock can be directly controlled during the test mode, for example, by a test phase control signal, such as a plurality of interpolation codes that are applied to an interpolator that alters a phase of the bit clock.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to techniques for testing ofserializer/deserializer (SerDes) devices and, more particularly, totechniques for pseudo asynchronous testing of the receive path in SerDesdevices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

SerDes devices are frequently used in communication networks in which aninterface must be provided between parallel bus-connected devices andhigh-speed serial communication networks. Conventional SerDes devicestypically utilize Voltage Controlled Delay Locked Loops (VCDLs) and/orinterpolators to lock the frequency and phase of the device to anincoming serial data stream. With current testing techniques, thereceive functionality of the SerDes device is not fully tested becausethe incoming serial data is synchronous to the reference clock utilizedin the VCDL. The incoming serial data is typically generated by theSerDes device itself (e.g., in a serial loopback mode) or by an externalautomated test equipment (ATE) device. In addition, there is noasynchronous clock available for testing using the external testequipment. As a result, conventional techniques test the receivefunctionality of SerDes devices only for a phase that is locked to thesynchronous serial data.

Thus, conventional testing techniques are insufficient. Such synchronoustesting does not adequately test SerDes devices, because not allpossible delay combinations are tested. The SerDes devices are nottested fully to determine whether the devices accurately lock toasynchronous incoming data, for both frequency and phase.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/181,286, entitled “PseudoAsynchronous Serializer Deserializer (SerDes) Testing,” disclosestechniques for testing the receive path of a SerDes device. While thedisclosed testing techniques ensure that a SerDes device accuratelylocks to asynchronous incoming data, for both frequency and phase, theycan only be applied to SerDes devices that are based on a VCDL.

Another known technique (discussed further below in conjunction withFIG. 1) aligns the phases of an arbitrary transmit write clock (TWC) anda transmit byte clock (XCK) having the same frequency. When these twoclocks TWC, XCK are phase aligned, the transmit (TX) parallel data canbe passed directly from the TX data source operating using the TWC clockto the serializer using an internal bit clock and lower frequencyderivatives down to the byte rate clock (XCK). This arrangementeliminates the need for a transmit first-in-first-out (FIFO) bufferbetween the two clock domains and thus reduces serializer latency.

A need therefore exists for improved techniques for asynchronous testingof the receive path of SerDes devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Generally, methods and apparatus are provided for pseudo asynchronoustesting of a receive path in serializer/deserializer devices. Accordingto one aspect of the invention, a method is provided for testing aserializer/deserializer device. A source of serial data is applied to areceive path of the serializer/deserializer device during a test mode.The receive path substantially aligns to incoming data using a bitclock. A phase is adjusted during the test mode of the bit clockrelative to the source of serial data to evaluate theserializer/deserializer device. The source of serial data may be, forexample, a reference clock used by a phase locked loop to generate thebit clock.

The phase of the bit clock can be directly controlled during the testmode, for example, by a test phase control signal. The test phasecontrol signal or a phase control signal can be selectively applied toan interpolator. The phase control signal is generated by a phasedetector in a transmit path of the serializer/deserializer device. Thetest phase control signal can comprise, for example, a plurality ofinterpolation codes that are applied to an interpolator that alters aphase of the bit clock.

According to another aspect of the invention, the source of serial dataor received serial data can be selectively applied to the receive path.The source of serial data generally has a substantially constant phase.

A more complete understanding of the present invention, as well asfurther features and advantages of the present invention, will beobtained by reference to the following detailed description anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional technique for synchronous testing of aSerDes device in a synchronous ATE environment; and

FIG. 2 illustrates pseudo asynchronous testing of a SerDes device inaccordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides pseudo asynchronous testing of thereceive path in SerDes devices in a synchronous ATE environment. TheSerDes devices may be based, for example, on VCDLs or interpolators.FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional technique for synchronous testing of aSerDes device 100 in a synchronous ATE environment. As shown in FIG. 1,the SerDes device 100 includes a transmit path (TX) that convertsparallel data 120 from a data source 110 into serial data 130 using aserializer 125. A PLL 140 generates a high speed clock (bit clock) 150based on a reference clock. The bit clock 150 is divided down by a byteclock divider 160 to generate a transmit byte clock (XCK) at the byterate. In addition, the bit clock 150 and byte rate clock XCK areprovided to the serializer 125 in order to facilitate serialization ofdata bits for each period of the byte clock. The data source 110 alsoprovides a transmit write clock (TWC) which launches parallel data 120with constant phase relation. The TWC can alternatively be generatedindependently using the same PLL that generates the bit clock 150, orusing another PLL (not shown). The XCK and TWC potentially have a phaseskew that also varies over process, voltage and temperature (PVT).

A phase detector 170 compares the phase of the transmit write clock andthe transmit byte clock. The phase detector 170 indicates a phase offsetor skew between the transmit write clock and the transmit byte clock andis applied to an accumulator 180 that generates a phase control signal,in a known manner. The phase control signal can optionally be processedby a noise-shaped filter, such as a sigma-delta filter. The phasecontrol signal is applied to an interpolator 185 in the feedback loop190 of the PLL 140. The feedback loop 190 influences a phase shift suchthat the phase relation between the reference clock and the output ofthe feedback divider 190 is close to zero. In this manner, the PLL 140locks onto the phase of the reference clock. Further, such anarrangement provides for the phases of XCK and TWC to be aligned so thatthe TX Parallel Data 120 can be passed directly (without increasing datapath latency) from the TX Data Source 110 to the serializer 125.

Generally, the same bit clock 150 that is used for the serializer 125,is also used in receive-path CDR, if the latter is based upon a VCDL oran interpolator for clock and data recovery. In the synchronous ATEenvironment of FIG. 1, external serial data with a constant phaserelation to the bit clock 150 (loop back serial data from thetransmitter) is used for receiver (RX) CDR testing. The presentinvention recognizes, however, that the synchronous and constant phasecharacteristics of this serial RX data does not provide for exhaustiveRX CDR testing because the phase adjustment capabilities of CDR are notexercised to the full extent.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a mechanism isprovided for asynchronous testing of the receive path in a SerDesdevice. The pseudo asynchronous testing of the RN CDR is achieved bycontrolling the phase relation between the reference clock (or any otherconstant phase clock) and the bit clock.

FIG. 2 illustrates pseudo asynchronous testing of a SerDes device 200 inaccordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the SerDesdevice 200 includes a transmit path (TX) that converts parallel data 220from a data source 210 into serial data 230 using a serializer 225, in asimilar manner to FIG. 1. A PLL 240 generates a high speed clock (bitclock) 250 based on a reference clock. The bit clock 250 is divided downby a byte clock divider 260 to generate a transmit byte clock (XCK) atthe byte rate. In addition, the bit clock 250 and transmit byte clockXCK are provided to the serializer 225 in order to facilitate generationof data bits for each period of the byte clock in order to produceserial data. The data source 210 also provides a transmit write clockTWC that launches the parallel data 220 with a constant phase relation.The generated byte clock XCK and TWC clock have a phase skew that alsovaries over process, voltage and temperature (PVT).

A phase detector 270 compares the phase of the transmit write clock andthe transmit byte clock. The phase detector 270 indicates a phase offsetor skew between the transmit write clock and the transmit byte clock andis accumulated by an accumulator 280 that generates a phase controlsignal, in a known manner. The phase control signal can optionally beprocessed by a noise-shaped filter, such as a sigma-delta filter. Thephase control signal is applied to an interpolator 285 in the feedbackloop 290 of the PLL 240. The feedback loop 290 influences a phase shiftsuch that the phase relation between the reference clock and the outputof the feedback divider 290 is close to zero. In this manner, the PLL240 locks onto the phase of the reference clock. Further, such anarrangement provides for the phases of XCK and TWC to be aligned so thatthe TX Parallel Data 220 can be passed directly (without increasing datapath latency) from the TX Data Source 210 to the serializer 225. Asshown in FIG. 2, the bit clock 250 is also used as the clock source forthe RX CDR 215.

As previously indicated, the present invention provides pseudoasynchronous testing of the RX CDR by controlling the phase relationbetween the reference clock (or another constant phase clock) and thebit clock. As shown in FIG. 2, the SerDes device 200 in accordance withthe present invention includes a multiplexer 205 for selecting betweenthe phase control signal from the accumulator 280 in a normal operatingmode or a test phase control signal 202 in a test mode. The multiplexer205 selects an input based on a test mode signal 204. The test modesignal 204 also controls a second multiplexer 208 that selects betweenthe reference clock (or another constant phase source) in the test modeand the RX serial data in a normal operating mode.

In this manner, the reference clock can be used as a source of serialdata for the RX CDR 215 in the test mode. In the test mode, the testphase control signal 202 is applied to the interpolator 285 in order tochange the applied interpolation codes. Thus, the present inventionprovides a direct control of the phase of the bit clock from the testsource. The phase relation between the bit clock 250 and the referenceclock is varied while the reference clock is used as serial data in theRX CDR 215. In other words, the test phase control signal 202 changesthe phase of the bit clock generated by the PLL 240, relative to thereference clock during the test mode.

The RX CDR 215 adjusts during the test mode while seeing different phaserelations between the bit clock 250 and the reference clock. Thus, bycontrolling the phase of the bit clock 250 relative to the constantphase source (e.g., the reference clock), different RN CDR states areexercised, and the recovered parallel data should stay the same fordifferent Test Phase Control states.

In this manner, the pseudo asynchronous testing of RX CDR in SerDes insynchronous ATE environment in accordance with the present inventionallows for more complete testing of the RX CDR circuitry.

CONCLUSION

While exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been describedwith respect to digital logic blocks, as would be apparent to oneskilled in the art, various functions may be implemented in the digitaldomain as processing steps in a software program, in hardware by circuitelements or state machines, or in combination of both software andhardware. Such software may be employed in, for example, a digitalsignal processor, micro-controller, or general-purpose computer. Suchhardware and software may be embodied within circuits implemented withinan integrated circuit.

Thus, the functions of the present invention can be embodied in the formof methods and apparatuses for practicing those methods. One or moreaspects of the present invention can be embodied in the form of programcode, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded intoand/or executed by a machine, or transmitted over some transmissionmedium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by amachine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus forpracticing the invention. When implemented on a general-purposeprocessor, the program code segments combine with the processor toprovide a device that operates analogously to specific logic circuits.

It is to be understood that the embodiments and variations shown anddescribed herein are merely illustrative of the principles of thisinvention and that various modifications may be implemented by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention.

1. A method for testing a serializer/deserializer device, comprising:applying a source of serial data to a receive path of saidserializer/deserializer device during a test mode of saidserializer/deserializer device, wherein said source of serial data has asubstantially constant phase and wherein said receive path substantiallyaligns to incoming data using a bit clock; adjusting a phase during saidtest mode of said bit clock relative to said source of serial data forasynchronous testing of said receive path, wherein said phase of saidbit clock is controlled during said test mode by a test phase controlsignal; and selectively applying said test phase control signal or aphase control signal to an interpolator, wherein said phase controlsignal is generated by a phase detector in a transmit path of saidserializer/deserializer device.
 2. A serializer/deserializer device,comprising: a receive path for processing a source of serial data duringa test mode of said serializer/deserializer device, wherein said sourceof serial data has a substantially constant phase and wherein saidreceive path substantially aligns to incoming data using a bit clock; aninterpolator for adjusting a phase during said test mode of said bitclock relative to said source of serial data for asynchronous testing ofsaid receive path, wherein said phase of said bit clock is controlledduring said test mode by a test phase control signal; and a multiplexerthat selectively applies said test phase control signal or a phasecontrol signal to said interpolator, wherein said phase control signalis generated by a phase detector in a transmit path of saidserializer/deserializer device.
 3. A serializer/deserializer device,comprising: a receive path for processing a source of serial data,wherein said source of serial data has a substantially constant phaseand wherein said receive path substantially aligns to incoming datausing a bit clock; an interpolator for adjusting a phase of said bitclock relative to said source of serial data for asynchronous testing ofsaid receive path, wherein a phase of said bit clock is controlledduring a test mode of said serializer/deserializer device by a testphase control signal and is controlled during an operational mode by aphase control signal, wherein said phase control signal is generated bya phase detector in a transmit path of said serializer/deserializerdevice; and a multiplexer that selectively applies said test phasecontrol signal or said phase control signal to said interpolator.
 4. Theserializer/deserializer of claim 3, wherein said source of serial datais a reference clock used by a phase locked loop to generate said bitclock.
 5. The serializer/deserializer of claim 3, wherein said phase ofsaid bit clock is directly controlled during said test mode.
 6. Theserializer/deserializer of claim 3, wherein said test phase controlsignal comprises a plurality of interpolation codes applied to saidinterpolator.
 7. The serializer/deserializer of claim 3, furthercomprising a second multiplexer that selectively applies said source ofserial data or received serial data to said receive path.